Under the framework of the 6th phase of the EuroMed Justice (EMJ) project, the 20th CrimEx was held on 11 and 12 December in a hybrid format at the Eurojust premises in The Hague. Criminal justice representatives from 7 South Partner Countries (SPCs) and 10 European Union Member States (EU MS) gathered to discuss technical and strategic aspects of international judicial cooperation in criminal matters along with the missions, goals and next steps of the cooperation mechanisms of the EuroMed Justice project.
Effective cooperation begins with a solid understanding of the various judicial systems. In this regard, on 11 December, delegations from South Partner Countries presented key elements of their national justice systems, including an overview of their organisational structures and descriptions of the national frameworks for judicial cooperation. This covered the role of central authorities and the involvement of prosecution services in facilitating judicial cooperation. The purpose of this roundtable was to raise awareness on the specificities of the South Partner Countries’ criminal justice systems in comparison with EU systems. In addition, the information shared during the roundtable will enable the creation of the EuroMed Justice fiches, on the model of the European Judicial Network Fiches Belges.
The same day, the EuroMed Justice team also reported on how the Project is transitioning to a more operational approach, and clarified the mandates, objectives, composition and functioning of the EMJ cooperation mechanisms.
On 12 December, South Partner Countries presented the legislative development at National Level (international or bilateral agreements, Conventions, Data Protection Rules) and provided their own recommendations on strategic cooperation on asset recovery.
In the margins of the main discussions, several bilateral meetings with successful outcomes between the delegations and with Eurojust National Members were also organised.
Eurojust is an agency of the European Union